Eating back exercise calories... does it work?

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  • dlcarroll13
    dlcarroll13 Posts: 65 Member
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    I see a lot of people on these forums saying that they don't eat back their exercise calories, or that they only eat half of them/some of them back. I just wondered if there was anyone on here who has eaten all their exercise calories back and still lost weight?

    Yes! I've been eating back all my exercise calories and have had many many days that I go above calories with indulgences and such...I have still lost 17.4 lbs in 3 months (with not too many left to go)
  • johnguitarman
    johnguitarman Posts: 56 Member
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    Is the TDEE approach better than using the MFP BMR approach or are they both good but just different? I have been losing on average 2-3 pounds a week for the 6 weeks since I started MFP. Last week though I only lost .05 lbs and I'm wondering if I am now in a plateau and need to re-evaluate my calorie intake?

    I am 6'2, 260 lbs, 40 years old. MFP says I should have 1920 calories a day. I exercise with cardio and weights about 4-5 times a week and average between 400-700 calories burned a day. I never eat back my cals so I am netting about 1200-1500 cals a day. Is that too low for someone of my stats? I know this is unsustainable in the long run but it worked for 6 weeks but didnt last week. Maybe I just have water weight I put on masking a weight loss of a pound or more since I did eat fast foodt two times, but I was within my calorie range so I thought it wouldn't be too bad. Probably was high in sodium though.

    I just learned about the TDEE and calculated mine at 3,495 and with a deficit it would be 2,446 calories a day. I was wondering if I should up my calories to use the TDEE method or just eat back my calories at the 1920 a day that MFP says I should have? I worry that if I increase my cals too much I may gain back some of the 15 pounds I've already lost. I have a way to go and dont want to go in reverse.

    At this point I'm confused what to do. TDEE or MFP approach?
  • melaniefave41
    melaniefave41 Posts: 222 Member
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    I only eat part of mine back, normally half or less, because I'm not finding myself to be hungry. However, if I were hungrier I would eat them all back. You have to listen to your body and balance it with the science.
  • salemnye
    salemnye Posts: 305 Member
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    i was wondering the same thing !! so i should eat them back even if i'm not hungry ?!!

    If you're not hungry don't eat!

    I don't eat after I exercise because of this reason, I'm not hungry only thirsty. I might later in the day like for lunch or dinner (depends on when I exercise) but usually I don't eat them back because I don't want to. I try to plan my meals without exercise cals added.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Is the TDEE approach better than using the MFP BMR approach or are they both good but just different? I have been losing on average 2-3 pounds a week for the 6 weeks since I started MFP. Last week though I only lost .05 lbs and I'm wondering if I am now in a plateau and need to re-evaluate my calorie intake?

    I am 6'2, 260 lbs, 40 years old. MFP says I should have 1920 calories a day. I exercise with cardio and weights about 4-5 times a week and average between 400-700 calories burned a day. I never eat back my cals so I am netting about 1200-1500 cals a day. Is that too low for someone of my stats? I know this is unsustainable in the long run but it worked for 6 weeks but didnt last week. Maybe I just have water weight I put on masking a weight loss of a pound or more since I did eat fast foodt two times, but I was within my calorie range so I thought it wouldn't be too bad. Probably was high in sodium though.

    I just learned about the TDEE and calculated mine at 3,495 and with a deficit it would be 2,446 calories a day. I was wondering if I should up my calories to use the TDEE method or just eat back my calories at the 1920 a day that MFP says I should have? I worry that if I increase my cals too much I may gain back some of the 15 pounds I've already lost. I have a way to go and dont want to go in reverse.

    At this point I'm confused what to do. TDEE or MFP approach?

    One is not better than the other... it all comes down to personal preference.

    In most cases, they will both yield basically the same amount of calories, it's just a question of how you want to log. Would you rather log exercise and eat back cals trusting your estimates (thus potentially eating different amounts of cals each day based on how much you exercise), or would you rather not log exercise and eat the same amounts each day, trusting that things will average out over time?
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
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    i cannot eat mine back
    i do use the TDEE approach except for that, i tend to eat 20-50% of them , but i am a Gastric bypass patient (long term post op) so i cannot eat all them back , because

    1, sometimes there is not enough belly room to eat them all , Friday for example, i would have had to eat a double daily intake..
    2 other days, for me its a lot like other posters, if i eat this then i defeat this, and i admit, like last night i did extra exercise before bed so that 1 i hit my fitbit goal and two so that i had "under calorie goal" call it what you want.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Yes, when I was using the MFP method (NEAT method), which is what you're supposed to do when you use the NEAT method. 35 Lbs down. I always ate back about 75-80% to account for estimation error for calorie burn.
  • LBNOakland
    LBNOakland Posts: 379 Member
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    As long as you still have a deficit then in theory you will be losing weight still albeit at a slower rate than if you didn't. You do need to make sure your calorie count is accurate though, if you use the readings from machines at the gym say then they are likley to over estimate the calories that you burn and then you will overeat. This is why a lot of people don't eat all of their exercises calories back to give them a margin for error.

    ^^^This! I eat some of mine back but not all. MFP and machines are a guesstimate of how many caloires I have burned. I would rather err on the side of eating more of a deficit then less of a deficit.
    I also zigzag calories. This weekend, I had a bonfire and enjoyed myself so today will be a very light calorie day. Instead of focusing on daily calories. I have started looking at weekly totals. I'm not going to lose a pound in a day so why go crazy EVERY Day! It also helps me to get right back to it. Before, i would say well I blew it. i will start again tomorrow or next week. Now, I don't have a start or stop date. It's my lifestyle and I will blow it but I can make up for it at the next meal. I also plan ahead. On the day of the bonfire, I ate lighter and exercised hard before the bonfire, knowing I was going to enjoy my event.

    Good luck!! Fell free to add me as a friend! :laugh:
  • LBNOakland
    LBNOakland Posts: 379 Member
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    did bmi and weight at 1 store said 249.8lbs.week later other store bmi/weight it said 325.2....wth ?????i i asked at first store if machine is calibrated and correct pharmist said yes......i know i did not gain that much weight in one week....any suggestions????:indifferent:

    Use the same machine consistently. you will go crazy using more than one machine! If you have an idea what your actual weight is, use the machine that was more accurate. If you don't know, visit a gym and weigh yourself. My gym has doctor's scales, which are supposed to be the most accurate. :bigsmile:
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
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    Worked for me, of course your results may vary. Cheers!
  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
    PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot Posts: 596 Member
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    If I'm hungry, I often do. If I'm not hungry, I won't. I've read posts where people won't eat their calories back when they've still got a ways to go, but as they get closer to their goal, they will. I think it largely varies from person to person.
  • Querian
    Querian Posts: 419 Member
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    Like everyone else here is saying there are different ways of achieving the same goals.

    Currently I am set as sedentary and I eat my exercise calories back.

    I could change my settings to moderately active and NOT eat back exercise calories and it would be basically the same total calories I was eating each day.

    If you are set at sedentary I think you should eat some if not most of your exercise calories back since the sedentary settings are often below BMR if you don't add back exercise calories.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    I eat 'em back. See ticker, also.

    Always have, since the very beginning.
  • jeannemarie333
    jeannemarie333 Posts: 214 Member
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    bump ♥ great discussion
  • StArBeLLa87
    StArBeLLa87 Posts: 1,582 Member
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    I don't eat back mine and I've lost 20lbs but I guess it depends on your body functions
  • varga21
    varga21 Posts: 2
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    My calories are based on moderate activity, and I"m generally under about 200 calories, b/c I'm exercising everyday. I fear that I might be missing out although I don't feel hungry.
  • rori_74
    rori_74 Posts: 111 Member
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    i was wondering the same thing !! so i should eat them back even if i'm not hungry ?!!

    That's my thing...If I am hungry I eat... If I am not then I don't

    same thing here :)
  • bad_hair_bear
    bad_hair_bear Posts: 56
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    Thanks for all the responses :smile: Makes me feel a bit better about eating most of them back. I just see a lot of people who are using TDEE/not eating exercise calories and wondered if there was anyone using MFP the way it was designed to be used! (Not that other ways aren't valid - it's whatever works for you I guess.)
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I see a lot of people on these forums saying that they don't eat back their exercise calories, or that they only eat half of them/some of them back. I just wondered if there was anyone on here who has eaten all their exercise calories back and still lost weight?


    Heck yea I eat them back!!!
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
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    I do -- not always all of them, but if I'm hungry I eat them all. I'm losing steadily at 1.5 lbs a week, with MFP set to lose only a pound. I had spent the first few weeks trying to leave an extra 250 calories "on the table" -- but you know what -- I lose at about the same rate even if I just eat them.

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